I am trying to come up with an empire of men known as the Draconian Empire. The empire has been ruled by a single dynasty since it's founding and it is believed by the people that the original Emperor was the son of Bahamut.
As such, the royal family are believed to be directly descended not only from dragons, but from an actual God.
It is also believed that the first Emperor flew into Battle astride a Gold Dragon, with several Aasimon (Angels) at his side.
There are great monuments built to the first Emperor, and many, many statutes and paintings of him kneeling before Bahamut who is blessing his most favoured son and presenting him with the Sword of Kings.
There are also grand stories and epic tales told by the imperial bards, that are believed by the people. These epics tell that a host of Angels descended from mount Ceslestia and swore allegiance to the first Emperor. They became his personal bodyguards and along with the Emperors Dragon half brother, accompanied him into battle (the Gold Dragon and the Aasimon from above)
I also want the people to whole heartedly and unquestionably believe that the first Emperor was actually the son of Bahamut and that the royal family are divine. I want the people to love their Emperor with all their hearts.
I am not sure how to pull this off though without handwaving.
It seems unrealistic that an entire Empire full of intelligent people would all believe the same thing and not just because they were told to, but because they genuinely believe and genuinely love the Emperor and the royal family.
I mean this is an entire Empire full of intelligent humans who would lay down their lives for their home and their nation and their family and their king. They would do so without question and with absolute loyalty because they BELIEVE and nothing and nobody will ever change their minds.
That's just not realistic though.
Do you guys have any thoughts on how I could pull off an empire like this and make it believable?
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Here's one thing that would make that all quite believable: Isolation.
Not that it has to be like... a lost city atop a mountain or something. But it just has to be a self-sufficient Empire that rarely trades or parlays with other countries. That way the people are raised under conditions where all these things are taught as fact as readily as the facts that the sky is blue and the grass is green. If they're told this their entire lives from birth and rarely, if ever, interact with people who don't share these same beliefs, so they're never given reason to question it.
The question, though, is... how "good" are the current rulers of this nation? It's a little easier to explain if it's a more totalitarian system... think of a place like North Korea. Where even those who don't believe that their Emperor is all-powerful and all-knowing is afraid to ever voice that opinion, because just saying such a thing is grounds for not only being arrested, but getting all of your friends and family arrested as well just for associating with you. But, like I said, it depends on whether you want to make the leaders villainous or not... it can work without arrests and torture, but that's at least a way to make things quick and easy to justify.
Plus, this is D&D... it's entirely possible for the story to be true lol
1) Propoganda. For good or ill if a consistent message is presented to everyone everyday, then it is absorbed and taken as fact except by those who take the time to challenge it. Or if it is part of the religion, just look to the Egyptians and other ancient civilizations that had similar beliefs.
2) If the society has magic, does the royal family have some power that sets them apart?
I am trying to come up with an empire of men known as the Draconian Empire. The empire has been ruled by a single dynasty since it's founding and it is believed by the people that the original Emperor was the son of Bahamut.
As such, the royal family are believed to be directly descended not only from dragons, but from an actual God.
It is also believed that the first Emperor flew into Battle astride a Gold Dragon, with several Aasimon (Angels) at his side.
There are great monuments built to the first Emperor, and many, many statutes and paintings of him kneeling before Bahamut who is blessing his most favoured son and presenting him with the Sword of Kings.
There are also grand stories and epic tales told by the imperial bards, that are believed by the people. These epics tell that a host of Angels descended from mount Ceslestia and swore allegiance to the first Emperor. They became his personal bodyguards and along with the Emperors Dragon half brother, accompanied him into battle (the Gold Dragon and the Aasimon from above)
I also want the people to whole heartedly and unquestionably believe that the first Emperor was actually the son of Bahamut and that the royal family are divine. I want the people to love their Emperor with all their hearts.
I am not sure how to pull this off though without handwaving.
It seems unrealistic that an entire Empire full of intelligent people would all believe the same thing and not just because they were told to, but because they genuinely believe and genuinely love the Emperor and the royal family.
I mean this is an entire Empire full of intelligent humans who would lay down their lives for their home and their nation and their family and their king. They would do so without question and with absolute loyalty because they BELIEVE and nothing and nobody will ever change their minds.
That's just not realistic though.
Do you guys have any thoughts on how I could pull off an empire like this and make it believable?
Have you heard of Japan? The Divine Emperor, to this day, is descended from the Sun Goddess. Popular myth (maybe true?) goes that people literally committed suicide for the glory of the Emperor. This was 74 years ago. I think you probably don't need to do much to sell it, if your players can remember World War 2.
God-Kings are not uncommon in the histories of man. Besides, in a world where the gods most certainly do exist and all sorts of fantastic beasts and magical feats are matters of historical fact, it wouldn't seem that unreasonable that the glorious and heroic dynasty might actually be descended from a dragon-god. Beyond that, most people in these sorts of settings aren't historians and don't have access to chronicles. The only thing they know from the past are what they are told in stories and folklore and by the government itself. Propaganda like this would be pretty easy to sell to such a public.
Also remember: Defiance is in all societies. A place where no magic is used to make 100% of the population devoted to the divinity could not exist. There will be some who will consider other possibilities even if they dare not speak it or they might speak of such only in private (or, if particularly foolhardy, in public with consequences).
If people are actually intelligent and not only obedient, they will question what they think they know no matter what the popular opinion is or how strong the opinion is. There really is no way around that.
A means to make it have a greater hold among the population is to have the population not really think about it much, as in it doesn't affect their lives too much whether true or not. If their will is still their own, outside influences (whether existent) will be praised or scapegoated but mostly ignored and peripherally believed. This still won't make anything 100% without magic. That's just not Human nature.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
If you mean you want the players to believe, I wouldn't worry about it because that's more up to them, and your edgy party agnostic probably wouldn't buy that the king is part dragon god even if he really was.
That said, to maximize believability, maybe this kingdom is more than usually prosperous, the envy of its neighbors, it's people fairly happy and secure. Maybe the people all buy in because they feel their kingdom is blessed, so they have no trouble believing it's because their king is part god. Legends have been told and re told so much that it seems almost normal to them.
Maybe there's even a supernatural symbol or relic to back some of this up, like maybe an everlasting flame burns above the statue of the first emperor bowing to Bahamut, in the heart of the capital city.
Basically, if you want the players to find it plausible, even if it does turn out to be fake, still back up the claims with evidence for them to see for themselves.
you said they are descended from a dragon god (whether thats true or not is up to you) but if it is true,maybe make them dragon bloodline sorcerers. also would they have some draconic traits,like scales,wings or tails?
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Hi, everyone
I am trying to come up with an empire of men known as the Draconian Empire. The empire has been ruled by a single dynasty since it's founding and it is believed by the people that the original Emperor was the son of Bahamut.
As such, the royal family are believed to be directly descended not only from dragons, but from an actual God.
It is also believed that the first Emperor flew into Battle astride a Gold Dragon, with several Aasimon (Angels) at his side.
There are great monuments built to the first Emperor, and many, many statutes and paintings of him kneeling before Bahamut who is blessing his most favoured son and presenting him with the Sword of Kings.
There are also grand stories and epic tales told by the imperial bards, that are believed by the people. These epics tell that a host of Angels descended from mount Ceslestia and swore allegiance to the first Emperor. They became his personal bodyguards and along with the Emperors Dragon half brother, accompanied him into battle (the Gold Dragon and the Aasimon from above)
I also want the people to whole heartedly and unquestionably believe that the first Emperor was actually the son of Bahamut and that the royal family are divine. I want the people to love their Emperor with all their hearts.
I am not sure how to pull this off though without handwaving.
It seems unrealistic that an entire Empire full of intelligent people would all believe the same thing and not just because they were told to, but because they genuinely believe and genuinely love the Emperor and the royal family.
I mean this is an entire Empire full of intelligent humans who would lay down their lives for their home and their nation and their family and their king. They would do so without question and with absolute loyalty because they BELIEVE and nothing and nobody will ever change their minds.
That's just not realistic though.
Do you guys have any thoughts on how I could pull off an empire like this and make it believable?
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
Here's one thing that would make that all quite believable: Isolation.
Not that it has to be like... a lost city atop a mountain or something. But it just has to be a self-sufficient Empire that rarely trades or parlays with other countries. That way the people are raised under conditions where all these things are taught as fact as readily as the facts that the sky is blue and the grass is green. If they're told this their entire lives from birth and rarely, if ever, interact with people who don't share these same beliefs, so they're never given reason to question it.
The question, though, is... how "good" are the current rulers of this nation? It's a little easier to explain if it's a more totalitarian system... think of a place like North Korea. Where even those who don't believe that their Emperor is all-powerful and all-knowing is afraid to ever voice that opinion, because just saying such a thing is grounds for not only being arrested, but getting all of your friends and family arrested as well just for associating with you. But, like I said, it depends on whether you want to make the leaders villainous or not... it can work without arrests and torture, but that's at least a way to make things quick and easy to justify.
Plus, this is D&D... it's entirely possible for the story to be true lol
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1) Propoganda. For good or ill if a consistent message is presented to everyone everyday, then it is absorbed and taken as fact except by those who take the time to challenge it. Or if it is part of the religion, just look to the Egyptians and other ancient civilizations that had similar beliefs.
2) If the society has magic, does the royal family have some power that sets them apart?
Have you heard of Japan? The Divine Emperor, to this day, is descended from the Sun Goddess. Popular myth (maybe true?) goes that people literally committed suicide for the glory of the Emperor. This was 74 years ago. I think you probably don't need to do much to sell it, if your players can remember World War 2.
God-Kings are not uncommon in the histories of man. Besides, in a world where the gods most certainly do exist and all sorts of fantastic beasts and magical feats are matters of historical fact, it wouldn't seem that unreasonable that the glorious and heroic dynasty might actually be descended from a dragon-god. Beyond that, most people in these sorts of settings aren't historians and don't have access to chronicles. The only thing they know from the past are what they are told in stories and folklore and by the government itself. Propaganda like this would be pretty easy to sell to such a public.
Also remember: Defiance is in all societies. A place where no magic is used to make 100% of the population devoted to the divinity could not exist. There will be some who will consider other possibilities even if they dare not speak it or they might speak of such only in private (or, if particularly foolhardy, in public with consequences).
If people are actually intelligent and not only obedient, they will question what they think they know no matter what the popular opinion is or how strong the opinion is. There really is no way around that.
A means to make it have a greater hold among the population is to have the population not really think about it much, as in it doesn't affect their lives too much whether true or not. If their will is still their own, outside influences (whether existent) will be praised or scapegoated but mostly ignored and peripherally believed. This still won't make anything 100% without magic. That's just not Human nature.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
If you mean you want the players to believe, I wouldn't worry about it because that's more up to them, and your edgy party agnostic probably wouldn't buy that the king is part dragon god even if he really was.
That said, to maximize believability, maybe this kingdom is more than usually prosperous, the envy of its neighbors, it's people fairly happy and secure. Maybe the people all buy in because they feel their kingdom is blessed, so they have no trouble believing it's because their king is part god. Legends have been told and re told so much that it seems almost normal to them.
Maybe there's even a supernatural symbol or relic to back some of this up, like maybe an everlasting flame burns above the statue of the first emperor bowing to Bahamut, in the heart of the capital city.
Basically, if you want the players to find it plausible, even if it does turn out to be fake, still back up the claims with evidence for them to see for themselves.
you said they are descended from a dragon god (whether thats true or not is up to you) but if it is true,maybe make them dragon bloodline sorcerers. also would they have some draconic traits,like scales,wings or tails?